Version 5

[Roy9]

It's been over 2 years since the last update and more than double that since a new version. Is there ever going to be a version 5? -- hopefully with significant improvements.

[Der FontMeister]

No due date yet but we are working towards a revision...

Jimmy G.

[MacEachaidh]

Purely out of curiosity:  what's the value of having up-to-date versions of both Fontlab Studio and Fontographer ?

Please note, I'm not being dismissive of either tool, and I haven't ever used Fontographer, so if the answer is obvious and my question groan-worthy, please pardon me.  I just figured that when Fontlab bought Fontographer, it was to bring the great mass of users of the venerable (but, as I understand it, long-neglected) Fontographer over to beign active paid customers of the newer program.  And possibly to acquire the technology and code of the older program, and where feasible roll it into the newer.

Other than the fact that people want to stick with what they know, is there a technical reason for keeping and updating Fontographer ?
Can Fontographer do things Fontlab can't ?

[Evertype]

Well, for my part, Fontographer gives me familiar tools which I have used for nearly two decades and which enable me to draw. I don't find FontLab's drawing tools intuitive or easy. With Fontographer I am very productive. Long may it live!

[MacEachaidh]

Fair enough, Michael.  Thanks for commenting.  (Go raibh mil agat!)

But if the Fontographer drawing tools (as I said, I've never used it) were ported into FLS, would that make for a happy marriage, in your opinion ? (again, I'm just curious, really)

[Evertype]

Fair enough, Michael.  Thanks for commenting.  (Go raibh mil agat!)

Erm.... you've said 'May you have honey'. You mean Go raibh (míle) maith agat '

But if the Fontographer drawing tools (as I said, I've never used it) were ported into FLS, would that make for a happy marriage, in your opinion ? (again, I'm just curious, really)

I use FLS for things... just not basic drawing, and I don't care for the learning curve it'd force on me after so many years of productive design. I don't think the drawing tools per se could be "ported"; there are already analogues in FLS, based I think on Corel Draw if I remember correctly. Fog's tools are based on Freehand (precursor of Illustrator!). It's not as though all the tools are entirely different, but knowing Fog doesn't help you use FL and vice-versa.

[Evertype]

No due date yet but we are working towards a revision...

What is being revised? Please let me beta-test. Or alpha-test. :-)

[MacEachaidh]

Erm.... you've said 'May you have honey'. You mean Go raibh (míle) maith agat

No, I meant "May you have honey".  What's wrong with honey ?  Doesn't everyone want some ?!   
(I speak no Irish, which I guess is kinda obvious at this point.  Gàidhlig is my, errrr, honey.  Oh well, I tried.)

Meantime, I'm personally not so impressed with Illustrator -- I certainly don't consider it best-of-breed -- so drawing tools based on Illustrator's aren't automatically a drawcard for me.

[Evertype]

Erm.... you've said 'May you have honey'. You mean Go raibh (míle) maith agat

No, I meant "May you have honey".  What's wrong with honey ?  Doesn't everyone want some ?!   
(I speak no Irish, which I guess is kinda obvious at this point.  Gàidhlig is my, errrr, honey.  Oh well, I tried.)

Mòran taing!

Meantime, I'm personally not so impressed with Illustrator -- I certainly don't consider it best-of-breed -- so drawing tools based on Illustrator's aren't automatically a drawcard for me.

Fog doesn't use Illustrator's tools, but Freehand's. Freehand was out there long (these things are relative) before Illustrator.

[MacEachaidh]

Mòran taing!

'S e do bheatha.  Mòran taing dhut cuideachd.

Fog doesn't use Illustrator's tools, but Freehand's. Freehand was out there long (these things are relative) before Illustrator.

Ahh, rinn mi mearachd.  I misunderstood what you were saying, a Mhícheal.  Gabh mo leisgeul.

[Der FontMeister]

The sad story since 1996 is that FOG's code was written in a type of pseudo language on the Mac in order to use a PC interpreter to "easily" bring it to the PC.

Getting all this fixed so that a modern OS can interpret all the calls on Mac and PC has been a real pain. We still consider it worth it and are continuing to work on the project.

Hoepfully someday soon we will be past the catch-up phase and into the new feature / wishlist phase...

Stay tuned...

Jimmy G.

[dse]

mmm, the history given on this website states that Fog predates Freehand, and was the first bezier point drawing program for the Mac.  Unless the original interface was discarded, FH must have borrowed from FOG, not the other way round.

I look forward to a CAD interface for original input rather than something that allows cleaning up mouse-drags point-by-point.  Mouse drags are fine when the screen resolution is acceptable, but it rarely is that unless your screen is a monster and your hand is robotic.